The 50 best pubs in London, according to the Standard

The unquestionable mark of a truly great pub is its egalitarian spirit. The pubs we love — the pubs that have made this list — all share it. They are places where everyone is treated the same, that can be used whenever and however: they are for after-work pints, for lost afternoons, for evenings where the bell for last orders is met with grumbles. They are there for quiet catch-ups with old friends, or Sundays with a book, or Fridays with roaring music and dancing and shots met with screwed-up faces. They are not mausoleums but museums, always collecting stories, often prompting them. This is how it’s always been — decades before we were propping up the bar, others were in turn: laughing, arguing, catching-up, falling out, making up. Making out.

With that in mind, this list is one predominately dedicated to wet-led pubs. Drinking pubs. Some of them are boozers, but not all of them. Food-centric pubs have their place — that’s another list, coming another day — but inherently, they look to codify how people use them, which, honestly, is as a relaxed restaurant. To name a few, The Eagle, Camberwell Arms, Canton Arms, and The Watermans might be beautiful spots for a meal, but they’re not so much places for a quick pint, especially those that become five or six.

Even within those parameters, 50 still felt a miserly limit. We’ve been all over since the last time this list came out; we’ve made it further south these days. Still, so many pubs could have argued for inclusion. The Bank of Friendship, the Nelson, Wimbledon’s kind-hearted Alexandra. The Hemingford Arms. The Glory. Others that made the cut before have been dropped — some, like a number of Sam Smith’s, because part of their appeal (in this case, the price) has been lost. We know there are others. There’s always another round.

And so here we have it. These are, for now, our favourite pubs; taking friends to, on dates in. The ones we’ve travelled for and will travel to again.

1. The Coach & Horses, Soho

For a long time, the Coach owed its fame to the journalists who called themselves its regulars (then: Private Eye, Jeffrey Bernard; today: all sorts from the Standard, Guardian and Telegraph are about). But lately, the place has heaved with those who rightly don’t give a monkeys about the hacks — they come for landlady Ali Ross and her team, for the huge array of ever-changing pints on offer, the rows of considered spirits, and the endless chat that makes the place rattle. Do interesting sorts come here, or does the Coach make those who come seem interesting?

29 Greek Street, W1D 5DH, coachandhorsessoho.pub

2. Blythe Hill Tavern

Between Catford and Forest Hill is the Blythe Hill Tavern, a glorious Victorian